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05-21-2020, 02:36 PM
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#1
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Hamster Pup
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Greece
Posts: 65
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Help with a bitting hamster
Hello everyone!
My hammie Oscar didn't use to bite me or pretty much anyone else. The last 3-7 days though it became a habit for him to try and bite me as hard as he can. It got to the point when I bleed once. He is 4-5 months old and he lives in a sufficiently large environment. Is he telling me something? What should I do?
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05-22-2020, 12:08 PM
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#2
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House of Hamsters
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
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Re: Help with a bitting hamster
Have you done all the essential checks?
Is the water bottle working?
Does his wheel work and spin freely?
What's Oscar like when he is out of his cage?
I'd give him a health check to make sure nothing is wrong with him physically that's causing him pain or discomfort.
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05-22-2020, 10:50 PM
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#3
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Hamster Pup
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Greece
Posts: 65
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Re: Help with a bitting hamster
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P
Have you done all the essential checks?
Is the water bottle working?
Does his wheel work and spin freely?
What's Oscar like when he is out of his cage?
I'd give him a health check to make sure nothing is wrong with him physically that's causing him pain or discomfort.
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For the first 2 questions, yes. For the third one, he is not scared outside. He has a spot or 2 that he particularly likes and I find that he likes to run in the middle of the area too. Also, going out means he will get a treat. You should see how crazy he becomes when I grab his bag of treats. Sometimes he even tries to help me open it. It's hilarious.
Anyway, I got worried because the bites were particularly strong. It might be because I tried to pet him in the morning but I don't know.
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05-22-2020, 11:02 PM
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#4
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Dwarf whisperer
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
Posts: 24,789
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Re: Help with a bitting hamster
Have you done any big cage cleans recently or changed anything in his cage? It sounds as though he's just got a bit territorial in his cage & that an happen with over cleaning or changing things around.
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05-23-2020, 02:10 AM
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#5
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House of Hamsters
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: Wiltshire, UK
Posts: 7,103
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Re: Help with a bitting hamster
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nakuzo
Anyway, I got worried because the bites were particularly strong. It might be because I tried to pet him in the morning but I don't know.
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It could be the timing. Our tame Syrian snapped at (not bit) my partner yesterday morning when he tried to stroke him. Hamster Henry had just pouched a peanut and was on his way to his house. He probably thought that my partner was trying to steal it so he defended his treasure.
My foster dwarf hamster screeched at me when i tried to interact with him yesterday afternoon so i let him be.
Timing can make a big difference and some hamsters can only be handled when they want human contact.
Do you make sure that he has food available to him at all times and nibbles like millet sprays and a whimzee to chew on? It's important they have something to forage for when they feel like it. Their hoard is precious to them and they love to add to it.
I'm sure you know all that but i'm only trying to help figure out what could make him grumpy enough to bite.
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05-24-2020, 12:06 AM
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#6
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Hamster Pup
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Greece
Posts: 65
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Re: Help with a bitting hamster
Quote:
Originally Posted by cypher
Have you done any big cage cleans recently or changed anything in his cage? It sounds as though he's just got a bit territorial in his cage & that an happen with over cleaning or changing things around.
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As a matter of fact I did. I threw out his entire bedding and replaced it with a new one.
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05-24-2020, 12:08 AM
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#7
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Hamster Pup
Join Date: Jan 2020
Location: Greece
Posts: 65
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Re: Help with a bitting hamster
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ria P
It could be the timing. Our tame Syrian snapped at (not bit) my partner yesterday morning when he tried to stroke him. Hamster Henry had just pouched a peanut and was on his way to his house. He probably thought that my partner was trying to steal it so he defended his treasure.
My foster dwarf hamster screeched at me when i tried to interact with him yesterday afternoon so i let him be.
Timing can make a big difference and some hamsters can only be handled when they want human contact.
Do you make sure that he has food available to him at all times and nibbles like millet sprays and a whimzee to chew on? It's important they have something to forage for when they feel like it. Their hoard is precious to them and they love to add to it.
I'm sure you know all that but i'm only trying to help figure out what could make him grumpy enough to bite.
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I accidentally threw out his hoard during the last cage clean. Could it be that?
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05-24-2020, 12:37 AM
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#8
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Adult Hamster
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 303
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Re: Help with a bitting hamster
Yes it could be, if you need to do it again then replace the horde in the same place as it was, but you wouldn’t ordinarily need to do a full cage clean or bedding clean unless he pee’s in his bed, poos are dry and don’t smell so you can just spot clean his bed in the future. It will have made home upset.
Also I don’t wake my ham to interact, and always let her finish what she’s doing before I open the door, let her finish eating, hording, washing or stretching, wait until she’s ready.
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